Viewing all News for: Haywood County, Tennessee

ACT empowers learners by removing barriers and creating pathways to success through programs like fee waivers, scholarships, and grants. In FY2025, we supported 477K students, 210K fee waivers, 27 scholarships, and 54 grants nationwide. Learn more in the 2025 Impact Report.

Site Selection Magazine's November edition includes a dozen location spotlights that include WorkKeys NCRC growth trends to demonstrate workforce quality. Features include Kansas, the Dakotas, Virginia, Nebraska, New York, Mississippi, Washington, and Wyoming.

Congratulations to the Work Ready Community of St. James Parrish in Louisiana for topping Site Selection Magazine's recent rankings of America's Best Counties for capital investments and jobs created. Other WRCs that made the list include Ouachita in Arkansas, St. Louis in Missouri, Saluda in South Carolina, and Haywood in Tennessee.

According to Site Selection Magazine, St. James Parish topped the list with projects such as FG LA LLC, a member of Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group, investing $9.4 billion in The Sunshine Project, an industrial complex for making chemicals and plastics. About 1,200 people will work at the facility when it’s operational.

Joe T. Wood, special projects coordinator at Hardeman County Schools in Tennessee, sees opportunity amid what he calls the "fourth industrial revolution." He spoke with ACT at the 2023 Workforce Summit about how skills-based hiring addresses changing workforce demands.

As Joe explains, skills-based hiring shifts the focus to employers, offering a more deliberate and transparent approach to assessing essential skills. He also gives insight into the need for a more flexible and responsive approach to career readiness to address the reality that “every kid’s going to have a career.”

Reflecting on obstacles and opportunities, Joe underscores the importance of rethinking traditional models to prepare students for diverse career pathways.

Hear all of Joe’s valuable insights in the video.